Smelting furnace and the method of smelting ores therein



1,559,531 J. A. CHURCH; JR

SMELTING F'URNRCE AND THE METHOD 'OF SMELTING ORES THEREIN Filed June 9. 1925 INVENTOR )Zn W%% )4 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

tssasn er c.

JOHN A. CHURCH, JR., OE NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNITED VERDE EXTENSION MINING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SMELTING FURNACE AND THE METHOD OF SMEL'IING ORES THEREIN.

Application filed June 9, 1925.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. CHURCH, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Smelting Furnaces and the Method of Smelting Ores Therein, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide novel means and method of feeding ores into a reverberatory furnace whereby a more rapid and effective smelting of the ores as well as a great economy in fuel is obtained by depositing the ores on the floor of the furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the flow of the molten materia'l from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace, thereby preventing the obstruction of the flow or the pocketing of the molten material, said gradually widening valleys in the present instance being produced by forming a plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end ofthe furnace.

A further object is to provide means'for feeding the ores into the furnace substantially continuously so that the continuous longitudinal mounds will be maintained during the smelting operation and thereby the most effective and economical smelting of the ores may be obtained.

In the accompanying drawings;

Fig. 1 represents a reverberatory furnace in horizontal section with the improvements incorporated therein.

Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the furnace, taken in the plane of the line 11-11 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 represents a transverse vertical section through the furnace, taken in the plane of the line IIIIII of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4; represents a similar section taken in the plane of the line IVIV of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The furnace floor isrepresented by 1, the arched roof by Qand the unfettled side walls by 3, 4:. This furnace may be provided at its firing end with the usual nozzles 5 for the introduction of the heating medium, and

at the other end with the usual flue 6.- In

the present instance where two continuous Serial No. 35,903.

longitudinal mounds of ore are to be formed and maintained on the floor of the furnace, the roof 2 is provided with two longitudinal rows of closely spaced passages 7 through which the ores are fed in from gated hoppers 8 communicating with a suitable feeding mechanism 9, in sucha manner that two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights are formed and maintained from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace with the apices ofthe mounds spaced from each other and from the side walls of the furnace, thereby producing gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace between the adjacent sloping sides of the mounds and also between the outer sloping sides of the mounds and the side walls of the furnace. The mounds of gradually decreasing heights may be formed, in the present instance, -by manipulating the gates 10 of the hoppers 8, by opening each gate or group of gates to a little greater extent than the preceding gate or group of gates beginning at the flue end of the mounds until the mounds are formed, and thereafter opening all of the gates to about the same extent to maintain the mounds at their gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace.

It is intended that this feeding of the ores shall be substantially continuous so that the continuous longitudinal mounds will be maintained at the proper heights to utilize the effect of the heating medium most economically and at the same time to present a very extended ore surface to the action of said heating medium. This substantially continuously feeding in of the ores, as distinguished from periodic feeding in, permits theores to'bc submitted to the action of the heating medium at a time when the ores most readily absorb the heat of the heating medium.

If found necessary, a greater. or lesser portion of each of the side walls may be made of non-corrosive material, such, for instance, as magnesite or chrome bricks 11 where the molten material comes into contact with the said side walls.

WVhat I claim is 1. The method of smeltmg ores 1n reverberatory furnaces which conslsts 1n feeding the ores into the furnace chamber in such a manner as to form a plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

2. The method of smelting ores in reverberatory furnaces which consists in feeding the ores into the furnace chamber in such a manner as to form two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

3. The method of smelting ores in reverberatory furnaces which consists in substantially continuously feeding the ores into the furnace chan'iber in such a manner as to form and maintain a plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and subjecting the mounds tothe action of a heating medium.

4.. The method of smelting ores in rcver beratory furnaces which cons sts in substantially continuously feeding the ores into the furnace chamber in such a manner as to form and maintain two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

5. In a reverbentory furnace, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form a plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end' of the furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and means for subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

6. In a reverberatory furnace, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the free 'flow of the molten material, and means for subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

7. In a reverberatory furnace, means for substantially continuously feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form and maintain a plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace and thereby produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and means for sub jecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

8. In a reverberatory furnace, means for substantially continuously feeding the ores into the furnace chan'iber to form and maintain two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firin end toward the flue end of the furnace and thereby produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and means for subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

9. In a reverberatory furnace, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form a plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace with the apices of the mounds spaced from and their outer sloping sides leading to the side walls of the furnace chamber to produce gradually wideinng valleys for the free flowof the molten material along said side walls between said. mounds, the portions of said side walls which come in contact with the molten material bein formed of a non-corrosive material, an means for subjecting the mounds to the ac tion of a heating medium.

10. A reverberatory furnace having unfettled side walls, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to forma plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end oft he furnace to produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, and means for subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

11.. A revcrbcratory furnace having unfettled side walls, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace to" produce gradually widening valleys for the free flow of the molten material, andmeans for subjecting the mounds to the action of; a heating medium.

A reverberatory furnace having unfettled side walls, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form. a phirality of continuous longitudinalmounds of gradua ly decreasing heights from the tiring end, toward the flue end of the furnace with the apices of the mounds spaced from each other and from the side walls to produce gradually widening val- Iii fettled side walls, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace with the apices of the mounds spaced from each other and from the side walls to produce gradually widening valleys between the mounds and along the side walls for the free flow of the molten material, and means for subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium.

1%. A reverberatory furnace having unfettled side walls, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form a plurality of continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace with the apices of the mounds spaced from each other and from the side walls to produce gradually widening valleys between the mounds and along the side walls for the free flow of the molten material, and means for subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium, the portions of the said side walls which are exposed to the molten material being of a non-corrosive material.

15. A reverberatory furnace having unfettled side walls, means for feeding the ores into the furnace chamber to form two continuous longitudinal mounds of gradually decreasing heights from the firing end toward the flue end of the furnace with the apices of the mounds spaced from each other and from the side walls to produce gradually widening valleys between the mounds and along the side walls for the free flow of the molten material, and means for subjecting the mounds to the action of a heating medium, the portions of the said side walls which are exposed to the molten material being of a non-corrosive material.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 4th day of June, 1925.

JOHN A. CHURCH, JR. 

